“Frost On My Windows” Explained

Below, the top three images are examples of how my farmhouse windows often look in Winter.  Windows in New England were traditionally comprised of an inner glass window which opened, and an outer glass “storm window” which was attached tightly in the Fall to reduce heat loss and then removed in Summer.  I have a number of these old style windows on my farmhouse. During Winter when it is cold enough outside, warm, moist air can escape from inside the house and freeze upon contacting the cold inside surface of the outer storm window.  Most people would try to stop this wasteful process of heat loss, but I encourage it, for the fantastical ever-changing artwork I get to enjoy on my windows!  In the “whole window” images below you can clearly see the frames and the road and some trees through the panes.  In my wall art though, I tend to focus on artful compositions and small details which are not obviously just frost on my windows.  [CLICK THE BACK BUTTON TO RETURN TO THE “SHOP” PAGE.]

On cold nights, after melting away during the day, fresh crystals grow, often in startling new patterns and shapes.  Sunlight, skylight, moonlight, the neighbors’ lights, passing vehicles, and the colors of structures and vegetation all contribute to the colors of the light flowing through my frosted windows reflecting off, refracting through and diffracting around the crystals of ice.  Positioning myself at different times of day by windows facing different compass directions, I can capture a wide range of colorful shapes, moods, textures and compositions, as the light from outside shines through the ice crystals. See the second row of images below.

I capture my images with Canon 5D MkIII and Canon 5DS-R 35mm digital full frame cameras combined with Canon’s sharpest “L” series telephoto lenses.  I do not overly digitally manipulate the images, except to control the tone, avoid blown-out highlights, and clean up imperfections and other distractions in the old glass.  What you see is what I saw on my windows.  I do sometimes re-orient an image for more visual compositional impact.

Below, the bottom row of photos are from a recent showing of my work at the wonderful Art Works Gallery in Chocorua, NH, (http://www.chocoruaartworks.com) and highlight the range in colors, patterns, compositions, sizes and framing options that I am offering. [CLICK THE BACK BUTTON TO RETURN TO THE “SHOP’ PAGE.]